Part IX of “So, What Does She Do?” Self Care

Amid everything the last 17 months, there has been some increased awareness on being sure that you are taking care of yourself despite the stress, chaos and unknown. I haven't seen a lot of studies, haven't really looked either, but it doesn't take much convincing as to why self care is important.

We all know how it feels to unplug, to stop working, to take time for ourselves, for our families, to do something that makes us happy and feel good. When we know that it isn't indulging on a negative “vice” activity, it feels even better.

So today, I'm going to talk about the things that I regard as self care. This list is quite the compilation of years of figuring it out and soul searching. And it seems like each of these activities fulfill something that my psyche needs. The activities below aren't necessarily there to push the activities, but more the reasons behind them, since the reasons might resonate more with you than the activities themselves.

1. Exercise. Yeah I know, doesn't seem like self care, but it is to me. It's time alone where I can get moving, which energizes me. I can listen to podcasts or music of my choice. I practice dance, I do stretching which always feels amazing afterward. It's the first thing I do in a day, and then I don't have to worry about getting it done. I know I'm taking care of myself in multiple ways.

2. Bellydance rehearsal with Zuut. Besides the fact that I know dance is a part of my soul, it's my only time that I can associate with other ladies around my age. They are all very pure spirits, we laugh a lot, we put together beautiful shows that we can now share with the community. This is one of the highlights of my week and I love that as a group we are accomplishing something for the community.

3. Meditation. This one needs to get back to me as a planned part of my schedule. I always felt so much more ready for the day. It would conclude my morning exercise routine, and I'd only spend about 10 minutes doing a quick guided meditation online, whichever one looked good from the list. My purpose for it was that I saw meditation as a way of exercising my mind in a way that calmed it down. I can't say enough about it and it's benefits.

4. Fresh air. This weekend I'm out camping. Still doing remote work of course, but outside, or in the camper, surrounded by fresh air. I can even see the lake from my vantage point right now from the one bed of my camper. Maybe I'm not actually relaxing, but there's something to be said about breathing in and smelling trees, rain and campfire that tells me that I can definitely relax. Then the fresh air knocks me out at night and I sleep amazingly! When I'm at home, gardening or hiking does it for me.

5. Accomplishing a project. I'm really not the type that can just do nothing and be okay with it. I do enjoy projects. Right now, my project is PAFE. I've had other projects that having included sewing, writing, organizing something, so many others. I go through a process though, where it goes on a to do list, I decide when it's happening, I psych myself up, I create a space or setting (maybe upbeat music and a snack for example) that helps me get it done in a focused way. The end goal is of course completion, but the sense of accomplishment is really cathartic for me.

So this is it. The categories for these activities were: keeping active, something for me, something constructive for my mind to focus on, nature, and accomplishment.

It might sound like a lot, and it is, I think. But I'm sort of a complex person, whose life has a lot of moving parts. I guess I need a bit more in order to balance it out.

So what about you? What is/are your favorite self care activity or activities?